Two Minds Crack
by Shohoku no Miko
Summary: One night finds two souls remaining uncomforted... And with the tension, two minds (that of Sango and Miroku) accidentally crack up. [My twisted way of relaying Chapter 292: Tokubetsu na Onago]


Author's Rant:  
  
Hi, minna-san! I just had to get this out of my mind before I continue with my fic, "Teach Me How To Love." No, I'm not experiencing writer's block or anything, but there are so many ideas oozing out of my demented head and it might confuse me to infuse the idea with the other fic, which is on the roll. So I did myself a favor by writing this out. And on the process, I got a break from writing the other one. Now that's what I call 'hitting two birds with one stone.'  
  
Anyways, this one-shot is my twisted way of Miroku proposing to Sango. There, you have an idea already.  
  
~Shohoku no Miko~©  
  
Disclaimer: Inu-Yasha: A Medieval Pulp Fantasy -er- A Feudal fairy Tale is not mine [nor yours], it belongs to Takahashi-sama. I just want a complete VCD/DVD of all the episodes and oav's for my birthday! I don't need cash, I need IY episodes! Waaaaaaahhhh!!! [My tanjobi is on April 2, if anyone cares to give me that...]  
  
Highly inspired by Episode 78 and Manga Chapter 292, Tokubetsu na Onago [A Special Girl]. So if you haven't read/watched it and you get bitter at spoilers, then might as well turn around now. [Though I highly doubt M/S fans wouldn't know about the 'essential' events that made their feelings known for each other and made them canon. I mean, I haven't watched the anime up until episode 60.] The song is called "Upside Down" by Two Minds Crack. [hence the title of the fic... Unnatural and queer, am I? *sweatdrops* 0=P]  
  
Two Minds Crack  
  
by Shohoku no Miko  
  
It was way past midnight, he can tell. Probably everyone was already sleeping, and if someone wakes up in the middle of the night that person would be worried that he can't sleep. [Well save for one person] But still it seems to him that darkness was something he was comfortable of. He sighed audibly as he contemplated on things that haunted him.  
  
Or make that person.  
  
The person isn't dead, nor is it a wandering soul. The person was still alive and kicking, but he can't figure out why this person haunts him if it can't float lifelessly on the air. Instead this person would walk beside him.  
  
~I've been spending some time  
  
Thinking of you and I  
  
Don't know if I could really make it tonight...~  
  
Sango. She isn't dead. She is still alive. But why does she haunt him? She isn't even missing, for crying out loud. She can even walk by him if she wants to.  
  
But the fact is, she never wants to walk beside him again. Not after what happened so many times.  
  
The incident that afternoon was still fresh in his mind, and the thought of it made his heart twitch. Sometimes his lechery he cannot control.  
  
And just when he cannot control it, it was then that Sango couldn't hold on her temper any longer.  
  
*******  
  
"SUKEBE!!!" A voice thundered as an audible torture slashed the silent woods.  
  
He sat on the ground, his cheek burning red, and a handprint on it. Never mind it, the feel was extraordinary. It was the only time that he copped a feel on her on both curves. She was too vulnerable to him.  
  
"Houshi-sama, you are a very disturbed person!" She started. "Didn't you know that people who cannot keep their hands firm on one place and wants to fiddle with everything within grasp is a mentally disturbed person? And do you know what they do to mentally ill persons? They get to have... holes bore on their heads, or worse, be burned!"  
  
"Of course I am not a disturbed person." He stood up, gaining support on his shakujou.  
  
"Then prove it to me." Sango retorted, anger smoldering in her eyes.  
  
Miroku had a mischievous glint in his eyes, and an evil grin playing on his lips. "I can put my hands on one place firmly. It's just that you take them away from you all the time."  
  
She was confused, he could see from the way her face contorted into the ones she'd always have at times she was at thought. But soon after, realization dawned upon her.  
  
Sango flushed at the realization of his words. But her blush turned into fury and gave way to what she never wanted to shout out. "I am never, EVER, going near YOU, you LEWD HOUSHI!" And she stormed past him and beside Kagome.  
  
~Lie awake in the dark  
  
Calm down then I start  
  
Thinking about you is almost breaking my heart...~  
  
It hasn't even been a day when she put distance between them. But it felt like a lifetime already. What was it that made her stay away from him again?  
  
Agh! You don't have to remind yourself again, Miroku.  
  
But didn't she see it?  
  
Doesn't she feel it?  
  
Or is she just ignoring it?  
  
~I don't know where I went wrong  
  
Or what's going on  
  
Baby, I feel like a lover tonight  
  
Should I stay, should I go?  
  
I really don't know  
  
Lately, I've been missing you so...~  
  
He watched her form on the other end of the camp. Her back was against the dying embers.  
  
Doesn't she understand why he always acted that way? Doesn't she see the reason behind the lechery wall?  
  
No, she doesn't see it. Evidently, she sees your act as an unjustifiable act. She doesn't know that you are doing it because you want her to stay away from you some time, for too much time with her would make you let go of your duties as the heir of the Kazaana. She doesn't know that if she stayed much longer, you would just do her something she would regret for the rest of her life.  
  
She didn't know that if she stayed beside you, you would lose all reasoning and take her with you and make her bear your child.  
  
Your child. YOUR child, who is destined to suck her up in the rebirth of the curse.  
  
~Baby you don't understand  
  
Our love lies lost but  
  
You're still holding my hand  
  
I want to make you walk away  
  
Just as I, I wanted to say...~  
  
She shifted her position on her futon, and she faced the fire that was starting to die. She opened her eyes and saw him at the other end of the camp, staring at her.  
  
Somehow she felt uneasy under his gaze. What is with him, really? Why does he do that all the time? Every single time that she would let her guard down?  
  
Oh come on, you know why. It is because of charm. Miroku. His charm. His flowery mouth that can say the right things at the right time, bringing comfort onto your whole being... And that's when he starts.  
  
Glaring, she fixed the blanket on herself and closed her eyes shut.  
  
~You're turning me on, you turn me around  
  
You turn my whole world upside down  
  
You're turning me on, you turn me around  
  
You turn my whole world upside down...~  
  
She was absolutely breathtaking. One movement could sweep him off his feet. One smile could make his heart flutter. One "Houshi-sama" from her lips could get him revved up for battle, even if he looked like a withered tree.  
  
One slap on his face could make his world go into circles.  
  
He shook his head. Sango. My dear, dear Sango. You don't have to make me fall for you. You already have my heart.  
  
But if you really love her, why do you keep on hurting her? It's because you want her defenses up so she wouldn't give in to your desires. It's because you want to keep her from the bad fate that your mother and your grandmother suffered when they bore the cursed child, right? It's all for the better.  
  
For the better?  
  
For the better... I suppose...  
  
~Everytime I hurt you   
  
Girl it's hurting me too  
  
Don't know if I could really stay here tonight...~  
  
"Dreams… They're all I have... But dreams can never come true. For when dreams are over, reality claims that we were never meant to be..." Miroku murmured as he stared listlessly at the fire's wake.  
  
Every time he thinks of the possibilities of them being together, the feeling of guilt always overpowers him.  
  
Standing, he walked towards the sleeping form opposite him.  
  
Sango. The taiji-ya. The woman who could drive your world and hurt you at the same time. How does she do that? She can turn you upside down. How in the world can she do that to me, without even making any contact [well, save slaps and punches and pounds with Hiraikotsu]? Okay, make that intimate contact.  
  
~Tired of thinking of you  
  
And everything that you do  
  
Tell me what am I supposed to do...~  
  
Sango saw Miroku walking towards her. 'Good Kami, what is he planning to do?' She shut her eyes tight and waited for any movement that would need her reflexes in work.  
  
*******  
  
Miroku sat down beside her. 'Kami, she is really beautiful...' He reached out to brush a stray hair on her cheeks, but withdrew his hand.  
  
*******  
  
Three pairs of eyes opened once the Houshi went near Sango. Now this is something interesting...  
  
*******  
  
Beads of perspiration were now trickling down her temples without her consent. It wasn't that hot, she hasn't even done anything tiring for her to feel like panting, thanks to the labored breathing and the erratic beating of her heart. 'Good heavens, what is happening?' Sango thought, as she felt him sit beside her.  
  
~Well I just wanted to say  
  
That I need you today  
  
Tell me it's all gonna work out all right  
  
Don't know where I should start  
  
Pouring all of my heart  
  
Baby let me be your lover tonight...~  
  
Miroku fought hard the urge to touch or make any contact with her, but the sweat rolling down her features were tempting him to touch her face. Ever so slowly, he thumbed one bead, which was at the brink of going in her mouth. Accidentally, his thumb slipped and touched her lips.  
  
Her lips... Contrasting her pale cheeks, it was so red. Her lips slightly parted. So bloody red...  
  
On instincts, he inched his face closer to hers. Her breath was tickling him, sending extraordinary sensations on every nerve he had.  
  
*******  
  
Sango could practically see his face in front of hers. She knows. With this proximity, on how you could feel one's breath so close to your face... A slight tinge was slowly creeping up her cheekbones.  
  
*******  
  
He placed a chaste kiss on her lips. It felt great. For the first time, he felt like floating. He kissed her again, this time, longer... deeper... with all the passion he felt for her, thinking and knowing that he could only express it this once. Words can never be enough for her, for to him, she was the paragon of womanhood.  
  
*******  
  
Sango felt something on her lips, and it took her seconds to recognize it being another's lips. 'No, this can't be happening...' She slowly blinked her eyes open. 'Masaka...!'  
  
Amber met Amethyst.  
  
Miroku stopped and sat up straight, then looked away as Sango abruptly sat up.  
  
"Ho-Ho-Houshi-sama..." Sango stared wide-eyed.  
  
Miroku suppressed the blush creeping up his features. "S-S-Sango... Gomen nasai..." He stuttered.  
  
'Whoa... what's this? The Houshi, blushing?' Sango couldn't quite place this newfound reaction she gained from the always-cool pervert. She couldn't help but jump into conclusions that he might, for a very queer reason, love her back with all his heart.  
  
But then again, her rational voice piped in, he just might be testing the grounds... You know... If you're going to give in...  
  
How would I know?  
  
How would YOU like to KNOW?  
  
Of course, there is only one way...  
  
*******  
  
The three other members of their group automatically clamped their eyes shut the moment Miroku side glanced at them. It would have been cute and tempting to tease the three for shutting their eyes all at the same time without them agreeing upon it, but the moment was far too serious.  
  
*******  
  
"Houshi-sama... Doushite?" Sango didn't mean to sound desperate, but it seems that her very voice betrayed her trying-to-be-stern façade.  
  
*******  
  
His attention was again diverted to Sango and her question. He turned the question in his head, trying to conjure a coherent and plausible answer, but sadly, nothing came.  
  
Miroku, for the first time in his entire lecherous life (Kami, I love him so much!!!) went speechless.  
  
~Baby you don't understand  
  
Our love lies lost but  
  
You're still holding my hand  
  
I want to make you walk away  
  
Just as I, I wanted to say...~  
  
"...Doushite...?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.  
  
"Sango... Gomen... I didn't mean to..." Miroku mumbled. Darn it all... Why of all people did he fall in love with her in the first place? It could have been some village girl who willingly accepted the task he was trying to impose on every candidate that passed his taste [He does have preferences, you know. He hates ugly, trying-hard-to-be-someone-else girls. I don't know of any guy who doesn't consider looks, even only as a supporting reason.] or a whore from the slut house the villages they passed housed. Heck, it could be any pretty and responsible enough girl he came across! [save Kagome]  
  
But no...  
  
His heart was so stubborn to even choose Sango, or even consider Sango as a prospect mother for his child.  
  
In fact, it was even foolish to harbor such emotions and wish her to be the mother of his children and the good other half of his life. So foolish that even his rational mind was infested with thoughts of building a happy family after they defeated Naraku.  
  
Naraku...  
  
The reason he and his father and his father's father were cursed. The reason Inuyasha and Kikyo's love affair ended in tragedy. The reason Shippou's parents left him young, alone and defenseless in the wilderness. The reason Sesshomaru traveled to gain his father's lost lands back. The reason Kikyo still wandered about in the world of the living as an empty shell devoid of emotions save for hatred. The reason their time was restless and unsafe, always experiencing inner turmoil between families and village uproars because of both youkai and ningen attacks.   
  
The reason why Sango became a jaded soul -- witnessing how Kohaku killed their chichiue, coming back to her village and seeing the former ideas of their forefathers that they were fortunate to realize crumble down into ashes, her hopes and dreams, along with the others', fading into twilight, making her the only one of their race surviving... And leaving her feeling so left out...  
  
Naraku... Their mortal enemy; their common goal. He will eradicate their only reason for fighting. Damn, if the baboon didn't exist, the hellhole in his hand would have never come into being and he could legally take Sango to be his wife!  
  
On the contrary, he still is half-thankful for him. If not for Naraku, Kikyo would not have pinned Inuyasha on the tree and sealed him. If not for him, Kagome-sama wouldn't be able to travel back in time and draw out the sealing arrow from Inuyasha's chest. If not for him, Inuyasha would never have been given another chance to live his life and learn how to trust others. If not for him, his directionless but reasonable search will not allow him to become a part of the group.  
  
And if not for Naraku, Sango would have never joined their band and weaved her way to his heart. And worse, there is a really big possibility that he wouldn't have met her even if they were both alive...  
  
Oh, the irony of it all! How could someone so cruel and heartless and the very reason their mission existed for be the person who they owed the wonderful emotions they feel for their companions now?  
  
~You're turning me on, you turn me around  
  
You turn my whole world upside down  
  
You're turning me on, you turn me around  
  
You turn my whole world upside down...~  
  
Sango unconsciously reached out her hand to touch her lips. The kiss was sending tremendous amounts of energy and shiver in her whole system. His warmth still stayed on her lips; his smell of burnt incense, ink, paper and sandalwood still lingering on her nostrils, her olfactory nerves memorizing his scent. This was the first time she ever felt this sensation... So pure and gentle, coaxing her to open her heart and let go of her doubts, but at the same time scary and inviting, her feelings unknowingly toyed by a nameless force, pulling her into an endless abyss of the undefined, mystifying her, holding her spellbound by the air of dark mystery the person before her exuded.  
  
It felt so good, so right... But so wrong at the same time.  
  
Is this how love works? Letting you get a glimpse of heaven and letting your senses have a taste of hell, all at once?  
  
"Hou... Miroku... Doushite...?" She inquired further, giving up the inner battle in her heart that dictated her to address him respectfully.  
  
She saw him collect his composure and heave, and then looked up at the stars. Another sigh came, breaking the uncomfortable yet unquestioned silence. "I... I was terrible, Sango..."  
  
The words came out too softly, as if the tone spoke for itself, as it seemed to apologize on its own, betraying the calm and collected face that Miroku now presented to her. He looked dead serious and adorned a face that of a lost puppy at the same time.  
  
This made her rumpled feelings be more disoriented. This was not Miroku... Never... Never has this side made itself known into public, save for the times she sneaked a peek on him, thanks to the occasional stalking she bravely tasked herself to do whenever he went out to calm his spirit.  
  
But he was always so lascivious! So licentious that he could resort to desperate measures to achieve his goal of having an heir to continue the task he can no longer carry on confidently whenever he unabashedly asks potential candidates for the most beautiful woman he ever set his eyes on to bear his long-sought for child. So desperate and disgusting was he whenever he tried to glimpse at her naked body, feel her curves and fancy other things Kami knows what. He is after all, an educated man, more so a man of Buddha. Who knows the limits of his imagination?  
  
The sukebe he may be almost all the time but his tenderness, the seemingly profound knowledge and wisdom he possesses, his witty remarks and irresistible charms, the virtues he rarely bragged about, the loneliness, pain, suffering and solace he never showed to his comrades, that he desperately tried to keep hidden underneath the monk's robes... Everything was revealed to her, either willingly or clandestinely.  
  
And that's what made her treasure him all the more.  
  
So maybe this time, she could listen to him... Without questioning him, and without doubting his words...  
  
~You know...  
  
You turn me upside down...  
  
You know...  
  
You turn me upside down...~  
  
"I was terrible... So foolish to even think... To even consider the probability that..." Miroku stopped, dragging a shaky breath as he looked down at her, his indigo eyes softening the moment it caught her hazel gaze.  
  
"To even consider...?" She questioned, an eyebrow arched. Then she glanced away, realizing she had been staring too much. But she could still feel his eyes on her.  
  
*******  
  
She was fidgeting under his gaze. He could tell. Why was she nervous?  
  
Ah, because whether you like it or not, you have made an impression on her that your insufferable hands would twitch and creep to places unwanted. In fact, it does something intolerable every chance presented to it.  
  
Well, not really every given opportunity now, is it?  
  
Miroku sighed. It does no good to lie to one's self. He did that too many a time. He tried hard to tell himself that being with her and having a relationship that is more than platonic with her would just add to the pain she has been bearing when time calls for him to leave her. He told himself that wherever her happiness lies, so would his be. He even got to the point of telling himself that it would be best to leave the group...leave her... while the ties are still brittle so as not to hurt her too much.  
  
But in reality, he knew very well that the things he told himself would affect them... her... the other way around. Heck, he was even slapped and called selfish when he ran away.  
  
Sometimes it even pains him that he... SANGO and him... continue with this... game of tag they'd been playing. They would unconsciously chase each other, evading opportunities of deeper relationship. He would go after her, sweet talk his way to her heart, and then touch something sensitive that would make her vulnerable to him. He would break through the barrier she diligently built. And to cover up for the damages incurred, he would grope her.  
  
Then she'd be the it. And he'd run away.  
  
She in turn, would express her distaste of the situation by slapping him, strangling him or beating him senseless -- her way of rebuilding the shattered glass she put between herself and the people around her. After she reestablishes her fortress, she then goes after him without her knowledge, her natural grace making him run back to her albeit the many... distractions and obstacles set between them in the forms of women and youkai. Her little ways of doing things would endear her to him without her noticing it. Then, with the stealth of a cat, she'd reach out to him, he'd meet her halfway, and he'd be the it again.  
  
And the game goes on and on.  
  
This situation... This tag that they engaged themselves in, would never end unless either of them would cross the line of demarcation that was obviously drawn by Naraku.  
  
He sighed again. There is no way out anyway. There was always no other option when it comes to her. It would always be going in, giving in or taking the bait.  
  
It is best to do it now.  
  
Or else.... Takeda, or anyone who would have noticed Sango's beauty -- the extraordinary woman that lay beneath the tough exterior, the frail, helpless village girl shadowed by the bitter experiences and the free will crafted in her as a taiji-ya, the innocent and pure heart that was disguised by a scarred, marred shattered and battered spirit given to her by Naraku... Anyone who was brave enough to sought after an independent woman by the name of Sango could take her away from him.  
  
AWAY from him...  
  
It almost happened with Takeda. He sat there, feigning indifference, his gut still tolerating the chasing of kimonos while a certain prince was asking her to marry him. He sat there sipping his tea, listening on how Takeda offered to make things right for her. He hid behind the bushes and eavesdropped on them, spying on them, not wanting to make his feelings and thoughts about the proposal be known. He walked silently through the halls, keeping his mouth shut and as much as possible stayed away from her. He walked silently past her that moonlit night, forgetting the moment they caught and held each other's gaze. He walked past her... and all he could do was whisper to the wind two words that gave him the hardest time to say...  
  
"Be happy..."  
  
He chose to ignore the fact that Sango looked at him almost all the time, silently pleading for him to save her from something she didn't want.  
  
Want...  
  
What he is about to do... Does she want this?  
  
HE wants this... He NEEDS this... But he doesn't know if SHE wanted this like he did, or if she even NEEDS to know this...  
  
Well, he wouldn't know unless he tried...   
  
"Sango... Have you... Wanted something for yourself so bad you felt like..." It was too difficult to even explain to her. All feasible and comprehensive ideas were sinking back into the dark corners of his mind. Okay, that wasn't a good start.  
  
"Like...?"  
  
Miroku closed his eyes tightly, murmured something incomprehensible -- as if saying a short prayer in foreign tongue, heaved a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. His left hand fiddled with the beads on his cursed right hand.  
  
*******  
  
Sango saw his actions. Was he really mentally disturbed, like what she had accused him earlier that day?  
  
"Mi-Houshi-sama... Is something... bothering you?" She asked, forcing back the encounter with him earlier. She couldn't bring herself to ask him if he, for the most impossible reason, felt something akin to what she kept inside. After all, a girl would lose her dignity if she said those words, right?  
  
Wrong. She was acting like a sissy, helpless maiden again. Sango knew from the start that she wasn't like the woman every man walking on the earth's surface would fancy as the light of the home. She knew that independence, determination and her own will would only cause disgrace to the man she will, for the most unbelievable reason, be attached to.  
  
In fact, the whole traditional-and-girly ethics the society demanded of women sounded ridiculous to her because for her, men and women are equal in all aspects. Man, for her, was created incomplete, for it is a woman who fits in the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle of his heart.  
  
Her father once told her of three things -- that she can take care of herself well, and that no doubt she'll be one of the greatest taiji-yas to ever live because of her undeniably great skills and bountiful knowledge. She was proud of herself for that. Not every generation in their clan had a girl for a taiji-ya.  
  
But she did ponder for a long time about the third thing. Her chichiue told her that even if she were the greatest taiji-ya of her generation, there was still a downside to it. He also said that her spirit and power would cost her a lot. A lot... Meaning discrimination, a lot of insults, doubts of her capabilities to exterminate, and worst of all...  
  
Acceptance.  
  
She knew that there is a weakness to everything, and now she understood her chichiue. She rarely found a village that readily welcomed her. Elders would always say that a girl like her would never be fit for the little housewife, and that men preferred the submissive, timid and fragile-looking girl...  
  
Everything she wasn't...  
  
She is still a girl. The simple village girl, only, she was fed with all that only a man was supposed to be taught. She still imagined herself dressed in a white kimono ornate with pink cherry blossoms and green leaves, a headgear that rests on her hair for the rest of the ceremony, drinking sake at the same cup with Houshi-sama, Houshi-sama leading her to their humble to-be abode while she said goodbye and thanks to the rickshaw puller who brought them there, Houshi-sama pulling the fusuma up to let the sunshine stream down on her every morning, waking her up with a sweet kiss and a warm 'ohayou'...  
  
Wait... Since when did her elementary dreams involve a perverted, twisted, intoxicating, distracting, charming, always-smiling... Dame!!!  
  
What was happening to her? She couldn't let herself go like that. It would mean weakness. She already had the greatest weakness in the form of her supposed-to-be resting in peace brother... This is just NOT to be tolerated.  
  
"Sango..."  
  
She was shaken out of stupor by his soothing, husky, honey-coated voice calling her name. My, it was only now that she noticed how good her name sounded when it comes to Miroku saying it! She thought her name was that of a tomboy. The name itself implied that she was rough, tough and unyielding.  
  
Maybe he understood that somehow, beneath the rough, tough and unyielding exterior lies the gentle, fragile Sango that dreamed simple dreams and longed for a simple life with him... Wait, where did that come from?  
  
Okay... All she wanted was a simple life and a family she'll cherish and care for until she closes her eyes to the world permanently. Was that so difficult to achieve?  
  
Apparently, with Naraku lurking around them, everyone -- not only her -- would have a difficult time building their dreams.  
  
"Sango...?" Came Miroku's questioning voice accompanied by a slight rise of an eyebrow.  
  
Sango tried to focus her eyes on the sleeve of his robes. "Hai...?"  
  
*******  
  
She wasn't even responding to him. He thought that for the moment, he caught her attention by calling her, but then she goes spacing out again.  
  
He felt relieved that she finally responded in affirmation.  
  
Well, here goes nothing...  
  
"... Since these are my feelings... I... want you to listen... To listen to the very end..." He looked at her, his gaze lingering for once on her face and nowhere lower.  
  
He fingered the knot on his purple kesa, and then dropped his hand on his lap. "To me, Sango, you are a special girl..."  
  
*******  
  
Kagome's curiosity got the better off her as she opened her eyes once again. This... moment... was too precious not to watch. So as not to be caught again, she closed her eyes slightly. This way, they'd think she was still asleep and dreaming.  
  
Shippou, on the other hand, listened intently. This was the only time he could watch the adults and what they were doing without being smitten by candies and taken away, or having his eyes covered together with his ears. At least nobody would tell him "We'll tell you later..." when it was always never. Hah, did they think he was clueless?  
  
Inuyasha tried hard not to eavesdrop but due to his hanyou/youkai senses, he'd hear clearly every word the two said. He just prayed that Miroku and Sango would finally see through their differences and stop playing tag in front of him. They are so infuriating! They were humans, and he was under the impression that humans were much more sensitive when it comes to matters of the heart, but in all honesty, they have been sidestepping around each other for too long. If he only could play matchmaker for the two but no! His pride would be tainted. He wouldn't stoop to something as low as that. Only Kagome does that. And they think he would be the last person to even care. Heck, do they think he is the densest person in the world?  
  
Inuyasha unconsciously snorted. 'The bouzou caresses other women's ass though...'  
  
"S..."  
  
Kagome willed herself not to say 'Sit,' and she definitely doesn't want to ruin the moment. So she managed to do the closest possible action a sleeping human would.  
  
*Sniff*  
  
She could just pretend she had colds, right?  
  
*Sniff*  
  
Inuyasha, as if reading her mind, made another sound that was almost identical to a snort.  
  
*Snore* *Snore*  
  
After all, a session with the dirt is the last thing he needed.  
  
Miroku stopped talking. Both Inuyasha and Kagome thought they really have done it, so they stopped making 'made-up' sounds.  
  
A little while later, they heaved a sigh of relief as Miroku spoke once again.  
  
*******  
  
"I never thought... I would trust and treasure a girl like this..."  
  
What is this? The Houshi... Miroku... was telling her that she meant something to him? Something... deeper and more profound?  
  
Sango still couldn't quite believe it. And she really has to NOT believe it. For like all the women he encountered, this might be the easiest line to open the doors of opportunity for his grand finale.  
  
Though in the farthest corner of her immediately blurring mind, a spark twinkled and burned, hoping that what he was leading to was the question she had been waiting for so long...  
  
*******  
  
"... However, that is precisely why I can't love you... as a girl..." His voice came soft.  
  
In an instant, the less-than-her-thumb spark went out, leaving the farthest corner of her mind dark and cold.  
  
So this is the famed Miroku. The dashing monk who would kindly ask you a stupid and silly question and leave your heart broken and longing...  
  
This was the Miroku every woman talked about. At first she thought she could care less, but he unintentionally got through the thick wall of ice she cultivated from her heartaches and fears.  
  
Her resolve was slipping away as her heart lay broken, silently mourning. How she wished she didn't listen to him!  
  
*******  
  
Kagome's mouth almost hung open. Though in her mind, she blurted 'Huh?'  
  
*******  
  
"I mean... You are a formidable taiji-ya... One of the best I've ever seen and heard of... A companion to fight alongside with..." Miroku carefully picked out the words he was going to say. He always thought that expressing himself was easy, in fact words would slip out of his mouth without hassle.  
  
But with Sango, it was different.  
  
With Sango, everything became different AND difficult.  
  
"... That's how I feel..."  
  
*******  
  
'He means she's just a friend?' Shippou's eyebrows suddenly creased. How dare Miroku lead her on like that! And to think they looked good together AND are fond of each other! 'The nerve...' He thought darkly.  
  
Kagome fought the urge to throw her beddings at Miroku. And all this time she was playing matchmaker for the two, only to find out that she was merely a friend? 'That's too cruel...'  
  
Or is this only because he was too selfish to Sango and too foolish to himself?  
  
Whatever it is, he is not reasonable. 'I will never forgive him for hurting Sango-chan...'  
  
*******  
  
"I-I know that... Without you having... to tell me..." Sango tried her best not to shed tears. Oh, this late-night talk was not right from the start! Her mask covering her disappointment was slowly slipping away, and she has to do something, and fast!  
  
"Iie... Houshi-sama..." She started, forcing a smile on her face. She held Miroku's gaze only for a second. Damn it, her eyes were starting to sting!  
  
"... It's not like I thought... That you cared for me... That you did love me..." Sango grabbed her blanket, gripped it firmly and laughed a humorless laugh.  
  
"Sango..."  
  
"That's enough of this late-night conversation, right?" Sango stood up, gathered her beddings and started to walk away.  
  
"I'm going... to sleep... Oyasumi nasa --"  
  
*******  
  
What's this? Disappointment? And her smile... It didn't fool him. It failed to reach her ears, and the shine in her eyes that always accompanied it was not present...  
  
Wait! His mind mentally shouted as he saw her stand and walk towards the other end of the Camp.  
  
He looked down on his cursed hand, gripped the rosary beads twined around it, then held it up in front of his face. Even if he wanted to stand and scoop her in his embrace, he had to control his emotions.  
  
"This conversation is not over yet, Sango..."  
  
*******  
  
She heard his voice. It was firm, as if commanding her to listen. She stopped from lying down, her back towards him, as she grasped the already crumpling cloth on her hands tighter.  
  
She was losing control over her emotions already, and tears were starting to fall from her eyes.  
  
It would be best to have her back on him. She couldn't, WOULDN'T let him know that she was hurting.  
  
*******  
  
"If..." He started. Ah, if is not a very optimistic word. Bad choice of word. Let's try something better, he said to himself. "When... Naraku is beaten... and all this is over... the curse of the kazaana will be broken, and I live..."  
  
Hah! Practically everyone knows that already. Whatever happened to his cool composure?  
  
"When that time comes..." When that time comes, WHAT? What will he do when that time comes?  
  
It was a rhetorical question for him. Deep inside, he knew what he wanted to do...  
  
He just hopes that this wouldn't boggle her out of her senses...  
  
And she agrees with him...  
  
"When it comes... Would you... Live with me and bear my children?" He spoke ever so slowly, weighing the chances he had.  
  
He just hoped that the answer would be affirmative.  
  
~You're turning me on, you turn me around  
  
You turn my whole world upside down  
  
You're turning me on, you turn me around  
  
You turn my whole world upside down...~  
  
Wha-- OH. MY. GOD. Did he do what he just did? Did she go deaf or something? 'Kyaa! He proposed!!!' It wasn't her who Miroku was addressing to, but she can't help but scream in her head "YES!!!"  
  
'Say yes, Sango-chan, say yes....!'  
  
*******  
  
She couldn't believe it. She just COULDN'T believe it. Was this a prank he was pulling?  
  
"When it comes... Will you... Come live with me and bear my children?"  
  
Her head shot up upon hearing those words, the tear Sango valiantly kept from falling rolled down her cheek.  
  
Is this real? She dropped the blanket she was holding.  
  
"Sango...?"  
  
"H-h-hai..." Oh this was just splendid! This... Confession was sending her emotions and thoughts into cloud nine!  
  
And did he really have to ask? It would definitely be a yes! And it wasn't just a damn child... He said children!!! He's going to be monogamous... Only because of her!  
  
She turned around and saw him walking, almost running towards her and sat in front of her, eyes wide.  
  
"Hai..." She answered his questioning gaze.  
  
She was surprised when Miroku engulfed her in a tight embrace, as though if he let go of her she would vanish into thin air.  
  
When he pulled away, his face was so jovial that it looked like it was going to explode due to happiness. "You'll bear them?"  
  
Sango mutely nodded.  
  
"Ten... Or even... Twenty??" Now he was ecstatic.  
  
Sango grinned broadly, loving the way Miroku held her hands in his. They will make it through this. She is ready to forgive him for everything he has done and might do to hurt her. The only thing that mattered to her was that he loved her; he was going to live with her after their battle is due, and he will never, EVER, cheat on her anymore...  
  
Or will he...?  
  
"So... You will not... Cheat on me then, right?" She asked, more of stated, at a beaming Miroku.  
  
:: Insert frozen moment here ::  
  
"You. Will. Not... Will you...?" She asked through gritted teeth.  
  
All Miroku could do was stare.  
  
"He's going to..." She murmured when she tore her gaze away from him.  
  
*******  
  
Miroku was still too deaf with jubilation as he held Sango's hand in his. What joy! All of a sudden, his life didn't seem so dark and alone anymore...  
  
"You. Will. Not... Will you...?" He heard Sango ask through gritted teeth.  
  
What would he not do...?  
  
Oh, cheat on her...  
  
Well, maybe...  
  
"He's going to..." He heard her mumble as she glanced at the grass behind him.  
  
Ah, the perfect opening...  
  
Ever so slowly, he maneuvered his left hand and crept lower, lower, and lower on her back, until...  
  
*******  
  
Shippou popped an eye open and glanced at their two comrades. 'Are they finished talking yet?' He pondered. He unsuccessfully suppressed a yawn as he turned into Kagome's stomach, loving the heat his surrogate mother provided whenever she'd let him sleep beside her.  
  
Inuyasha saw the wandering hands convulse involuntarily. 'It'll soon get worse... They're disturbing my sleep, they should have known that...' He closed his eyes again and shifted on his tree, covering his ears in the process, expecting a resounding slap or a thundering "Sukebe."  
  
Meanwhile Kagome, from below him, smiled in satisfaction at their companions. 'I knew it... They look good together...!' She almost squealed. She controlled her squeal by scooping Shippou instead in her embrace. That way, she wouldn't have to cover her mouth.  
  
'Sango-chan you have a lot to tell me tomorrow morning...'  
  
*******  
  
*Pat* *Pat*  
  
Sango jumped at the unexpected touch on her rear. He looked up at Miroku and saw a very familiar lecherous grin spread on his face, while his eyes gazed dreamily at the heavens.  
  
"Miroku..." Came Sango's warning.  
  
Miroku looked down at her, his eyes shining brightly. "Ah, Sango dear, I was just thanking Buddha and the heavens for giving you to me..." Another pat was felt on her rear.  
  
An eyebrow shot up. "That doesn't justify you groping me."  
  
"Why, I thought you'd bear my children?" Miroku pouted cutely at her, looking funnily guilty.  
  
"As long as that hand of yours doesn't wander -- "  
  
"But I thought you agreed to bear my children already?"  
  
"... On another woman's body..."  
  
Miroku brightened at the last comment. "Of course, my dear. Rest assured that my hands will only be groping you in any way possi -- "  
  
"AND..." Sango interjected. "... Ease off the groping..."  
  
Miroku looked like the world fell on his shoulders. How could fate be so cruel, taking his only liberty?  
  
Oh well, after everything is over, the groping WILL resume anyway... And there'd be no more aching slaps, lumps and bruises to form on his body for doing so... And the best part is, he gets to grope here anywhere with HER permission! So maybe he could control his hands for the remaining time...  
  
He was about to say yes when a yawn escaped Sango's lips.  
  
"... Until morning... I'm really tired and sleepy to blast you into the neighboring town..." Sango crept into her bedroll, smiling slightly at Miroku.  
  
A sensation on her chest brought Sango's droopy eyes to snap open, only to find Miroku's hand on it.  
  
He smiled. "A good night grope..." He winked.  
  
He was a hopeless pervert. Miroku is HER hopeless pervert. "Oyasumi... Miroku..."  
  
"Ohayou..." He retorted, bringing down his lips on hers to kiss her sweetly.  
  
He then moved to the nearest tree and rested his back against it, sitting with his feet tucked under him. He could take over Sango's watch. After all, he wasn't planning on sleeping anyway. He'd love to look at her while she was asleep...  
  
~OWARI~  
  
Author's Rant:  
  
Hah, sappy and waffy. I kind of wanted to make this fic a little dark, but due to the luck I've been having lately... My modem's back! And my bro's going to give me an IY VCD/DVD as a puresento for my birthday!!! That's why I decided to make it light and sweet. I just hope I made you all twitch with the suuper-waff I made. I told you its a twisted way of Chapter 292... Just can't help but love them more...  
  
I have an upcoming fic temporarily called "Anything For You" and for anyone who's interested, please tell me. And I warn you, it's rated R, so tell me also if I should continue with it. I might offend someone...  
  
Gomen for all the wrong grammar and spelling, okay?  
  
Ja, mata ne!!!  
  
~Overdose on WAFF served to you by Shohoku no Miko~© 


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